Wife Like
by Niixx
Summary: Ikuto tries various methods to woo Amu into marrying him. Rated for later chapters.
1. Getting Personal

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary:** Ikuto sees Amu naked and starts thinking of ways to hook her in.

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**Getting Personal**

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Amu awoke slowly, knowing instinctively who held her. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out; Ikuto had been the man to fall asleep in her bed the night before and therefore he had to be the one that held her now.

At eighteen, Amu had grown accustomed to Ikuto's random visits and sleepovers. She no longer fought them; he was one of the people she could now speak openly and honestly with. He was in his last year of University and majoring in Music. He had shared with her that he hoped to play violin professionally, but he had a backup plan just in case worse came to worst. He was going to be a music teacher.

So as not to wake him, Amu rolled onto her other side, keeping in the hold of his arms. Looking up into his face, she smiled to herself. He always seemed so young when he was asleep...well, other than the morning stubble on his face. He could easily pass for someone only a year or two older than her, if he'd cared to try. But he didn't.

His appearance hadn't changed much other than the addition of some muscles and more hair. The midnight blue hair was shaggy and a little too long, making her hands itch to run through it. Amu thought it suited him, made him seem more like a musician than ever before. And, had his eyes been open, she would have taken in the beauty of those blue eyes that no longer held a shadow of self-disgust. They were clear and expressive, rarely sad unless the past was brought up.

"If you keep staring at me, little pervert, I might just have to tickle you," he said suddenly even though his eyes were still closed. He shifted against her, stretching his legs while keeping his arms around her. Slowly, he blinked those to-die-for-blue eyes open. Raising one eyebrow, he smirked. "Why don't you just come out with it? You love me and you know it."

Before, she might have sputtered at what had been an accusation years before, but now she only laughed, reaching up to pat his cheek condescendingly. "Oh, yes, Ikuto. I love you more than life itself. Please take me!" Chuckling, she put her hands against his shoulders, gently shoving away. "Time to let me up, morning breath. I need to get away so I can breathe something other than your nasty air."

His eyes slid closed once again; his smile remained on his face. "Knew it. You're completely in love with me. Suppose I should run away with or without you?" His arms tightened around her waist and his face buried in her hair. Inhaling, he breathed, "Definitely with you. I think I've become addicted to the scent of your shampoo."

"Enjoy it while you can; I ran out of it last night before you got here." Stretching her arms above her head, she said, "But, for real, I've gotta go brush my teeth. My breath is rank. And so is yours. Come on; I've got your toothbrush around here somewhere."

After he had helped her move into her own apartment, Ikuto had brought over a few things for when he unexpectedly dropped by. He had a small supply of clothes and a few personal items, such as shampoo, body wash, a toothbrush, etcetera. Hence, she was always prepared for a surprise sleepover.

"Most of your clothes are in the wash," she said as she moved into the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower, but you know where the food and everything is." She didn't have to say, "Make yourself at home," because he would on his own. By the time she got out of the bathroom, he would be fed, dressed, and ready for the day. She only hoped that he saved her some coffee this time. He usually only made enough for him, which made her reprimand him each time he came over.

Stripping, she realized that she had forgotten a towel. She hid behind the door as she opened it a crack, shouting, "Ikuto, could you bring me a towel? I forgot one."

She waited impatiently for him to return with a towel in his hand. When she heard his voice approaching, announcing the towel he held in his hand, she reached out of the bathroom, putting her other hand on the side of the door.

Leaning too far, she stumbled, throwing the door unexpectedly open.

And giving Ikuto a good look at her birthday suit.

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"Here's your towel, Amu. You really have to stop forgetting everything—" Ikuto's voice cut off as all the breath left his body. Standing before him in all her glory was Amu, redder than she had ever been. He just stood there dumbly for a moment, towel still in hand even as his mouth slackened, opening slightly.

She was gorgeous. She had the body of a bikini model; all her curves were in the right places and she looked softer than the best silk in the world. Her bright pink hair was much longer, falling just above the curve of her breasts. It framed the shocked look on her face and continued to do so even as his gaze traveled down her body.

He couldn't help it; he was just a man. And no straight man could resist a body like that, with perfectly rounded hips and the best breasts in the world. He unknowingly took a step forward, breaking into Amu's shock.

"I-Ikuto!" she breathed, flying behind the door to keep herself out of eyesight. One lone arm flew out of her hiding place, the fingers on the hand attached to it blindly clenching and unclenching. "Give me the towel!"

Knowing that doing anything more would only get him in more trouble than he would be able to squirm out of--_I'd rather _she _squirmed--_he numbly handed her the towel, watching as she slammed the door in his face.

He had just seen Amu naked for the first time…and nothing had happened. Absolutely nothing. In fact, he now realized exactly how unrealistic his dreams at night--and sometimes the day--were.

Of _course_ Amu wouldn't smile at him and invite him into the shower with her. Of _course_ she would leave him in the hallway aching. Of _course_ she would be embarrassed beyond belief. There was no chance that she was going to jump at the chance to have sex with him because _she didn't love him like he did her._

And it was a painful thought.

_Unrequited love sucks_, he thought.

'_Ikuto, I thought you wanted to be free! If you marry Amu, you'll be stuck with her _forever_!'_ Yoru's worried voice slammed into his mind, bringing a smile to his face despite the annoying message the feline had conveyed. It had been a long time since Yoru had felt the need to chime in and "guide" Ikuto. _'No escape, nya!'_

He made it sound like a bad thing, being locked to that hot little piece of flesh for eternity.

Suddenly feeling arrogant, he thought to himself, _Now, how to get her to fall in love with me…._

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_Hopefully my chapters will grow. Lol. This one is so short, the pages used wouldn't be enough to be used as toilet paper. XD  
Well, I just had to get this started, so I hope you all like it!  
__**Niixx**_


	2. Popping The Question

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary:** Ikuto pops the question, but Amu doesn't believe he'll be able to stick to it.

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**Popping the Question**

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After their bathroom encounter, Amu could barely look at Ikuto without blushing or stammering. She couldn't believe that he had actually seen her _naked_! It was so embarrassing!

Of course, there was really no reason for her to be so embarrassed. She knew she didn't have a bad body and it wasn't as if they'd actually _done_ anything. So what if he'd seen her naked? It wasn't as if he'd never seen a woman nude before. She didn't know why she worried herself with something so trivial.

They ate breakfast in silence, though she could feel his gaze on her a great deal of the time. Did he expect her to say something? God, what was she supposed to do?! No matter what she tried to tell herself, it was weird; did he expect something from her? Was he going to disappear and never return? What if he thought she'd meant to do it? Did he think that she wanted him?!

Well, she guessed that wasn't such a bad thing, seeing as she did. Any woman in her right mind would drool over him. She remembered at her high school graduation when he'd shown up; every woman in the room had stared when he'd come up to congratulate her. Some had even come up, asking him for his phone number. He'd politely turned them down, saying that he had an overly jealous girlfriend he had to get back to.

_A girlfriend,_ Amu thought to herself, catching herself staring at his back as he rose to place his dishes in the sink. _He has a girlfriend somewhere and he's spending the night _here_? Why would he do that?_ She felt her envy towards the unknown woman growing, gnawing annoyingly at her conscious mind. _Was he even telling the truth? Probably. He'd left quickly after that. Darn it, why am I getting so worked up over this? He acts like a friend to me; there's no reason for me to get so worried about his love life. It's not like I have any feelings for him or anything._

He turned towards her slowly, as if he felt her eyes on him. Their eyes caught and she felt a flush heating her cheeks. Why was he looking at her that way, like he was trying to size something up? Did he not believe she could look like she did beneath her clothes?

_I most certainly do, Tsukiyomi Ikuto,_ she thought in irritation._ Obviously._ So why was he staring at her like she was some kind of puzzle?

Rising, she tried to hide her embarrassment by ducking her head down. "I'd better get ready; Rima-chan's coming to pick me up soon." Blushing profusely, she raced past him, dropping her dishes into the sink before dashing towards the bathroom.

As she applied her makeup, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was planning something. The look in his eyes had always led to trouble before and it was unlikely that it had changed.

But what could he possibly be doing?

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She was making it difficult to propose with her dodging him.

He hadn't known what to say at breakfast; she'd been pink the whole time, brightening whenever she caught him looking at her. But had she really expected differently? She was gorgeous underneath her clothes; did she think he would just forget it? Or ignore it? Yeah, right. He was a guy. A naked woman, no matter who she was, would be in his mind for at least a little while. A goddess, however, would never leave.

When he heard Rima's knock on the door, he knew he wouldn't have time to ask Amu then. On the down side, she would have her guard back up if he waited. On the up side, he had enough time to plan out his attack. If he had anything to say about it, she would be swept off her feet and into submission. But it _was_ Amu; she wouldn't make it easy.

Another knock sounded, shocking him out of his reserve. Before he knew what he was doing, he strode to the door, flipping the lock and swinging it open to find a miniature blonde standing before him.

"You lost, Barbie?" he asked without thinking, immediately wincing. It probably wasn't a good idea to taunt Amu's best friend; he wouldn't get any brownie points for it.

Back straight, Rima sniffed disdainfully, "Ugh. I know Amu-chan wastes her time taking in stray cats, but you'd think she'd at least encourage them to practice good hygiene. You look absolutely _repulsive_." Her nose stuck in the air and she waved one dainty hand at him. "Out of my way, feline."

Raising one eyebrow, he blocked the doorway even more. "You certainly treat Amu's fiancé poorly, don't you, _little girl_?" He hadn't meant for the words to slip out, and he realized his mistake as her mouth flew open in a very much undignified way and Amu's shocked gasp sounded behind him. Cringing, he turned around with a small grin on his face, hoping to ward off any violence on the pinkette's part. "That was quick, Amu."

"Y-you can't just…just tell people we're getting married! Are you insane?!" she screeched, glaring at him.

Loving anything to do with yelling at Ikuto, Rima jumped in, forcing him to look over at her as Amu stomped towards them. "This is the twenty-first century, Tsukiyomi! Women are allowed to either accept or decline marriage proposals; you can't just decide for them!"

Wiping one hand over his face, he muttered, "I didn't mean for that to come out, obviously. I've just been thinking—"

Amu stalking past him effectively stopped any words that would have left him. As she crossed through the doorway to Rima's side, she asked, "You were just _thinking_? Do me a favor; stop it!"

Then, before he could think of a particularly witty reply, they were making their way to the elevator down the hall, grumbling to each other as if they didn't believe he could hear them.

"I can hear you, ya know!" he shouted after them before slamming the door.

He found himself alone in an apartment that only seemed to be screaming accusations at him. _You didn't do it right, you fool! Now, to make up for it, you're going to have to do everything right! You idiot!_

Suddenly, a little floating blue apparition appeared in front of him, shocking him. As it became something a little more discernable, Ikuto realized that it was Yoru that was glaring at him in that caring-yet-disgusted way that only a cat could really pull off.

'_You're not very smart, nya,'_ Yoru muttered, shaking his head in an oddly mature way. _'You gotta think this through, Ikuto. Even a dog could have done a better job of asking her than that.'_

With a smirk, Ikuto asked his old friend, "Yeah? And how would _you_ have done it, Yoru?"

Yoru gave him a perfect replica of the same smirk. _'I thought you'd never ask, nya.'_

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"He's probably gone now anyways," Amu reassured her friend from the passenger seat. Their shopping bags were piled in the backseat, but their little excursion and heavy spending hadn't lightened the mood at all. Rima had had a dark grimace on her face for most of their outing while Amu had worried her lip a lot. "He never stays long; maybe a night, then he's gone after he's been fed the next morning."

"Like a real stray cat," Rima mocked, hands tightening on the steering wheel. She looked over at Amu, glaring. "I say you just tell him to take a hike, Amu-chan. You don't need to be taking care of him all the time; doesn't he have his own home?"

Amu had heard it all before. None of her friends—excluding Kuukai and maybe Nagihiko—really liked Ikuto, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy his company. Now that she was older, she understood what a great friend he actually was. He listened to her pissing and moaning over stupid things that she shouldn't let upset her, took care of her when she was sick, even helped her with college applications. So if Rima and Tadase and Yaya didn't like him, what was the big deal?

"Sometimes it's nice to have him around. He isn't always so unthinking." In fact, he rarely spoke without measuring in his mind any possible reactions. That was why his words had gotten such a furious reaction from her. But now, looking back on it, he could have just been trying to mess with Rima; he did like to make people as uncomfortable as possible whenever he could. "Besides, it was just a joke, obviously. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have said it out loud."

"Whatever," Rima said, rolling her eyes. "I just don't see how you can spend any time at all with him. I mean, he lacks any sense of tact and general thought towards others' feelings. And what could he possibly provide for you in friendship? He makes fun of you more often than not!" They pulled up to the curb in front of Amu's apartment building quickly, nearly going onto the curb.

"Well, for one, when he drives, he doesn't try to kill me!" Amu half-joked, holding onto the car door for dear life. "And he doesn't _always_ tease me; in fact, lately, he's been sweeter than any other guy I know!"

As Amu unbuckled her seatbelt to get out of the car, Rima spun in her seat, eyes wide as she stared at her best friend. "No," she breathed. "It can't be." She grabbed Amu's chin, forcing her to look at her. After watching the trapped woman's eyes for a few awkward moments, she screamed, "You're in _love_ with him!"

Letting go of Amu, Rima slammed back into her seat, her hands on her face dramatically. "How could you be so stupid as to fall in love with _Tsukiyomi Ikuto_?! Why couldn't you have fallen for someone better suited to you like…like Tadase-kun?! Why did it have to be him?!" Suddenly, Rima was sitting perfectly upright, her face turned towards Amu. "I'm going to have to be the maid of honor at a _Tsukiyomi _wedding!" She shuddered. "Ugh, no amount of bathing will get rid of that."

Not knowing whether to laugh or yell at her friend's antics, Amu merely shook her head, getting out of the car slowly. Turning back around to shut her door, she said quite purposefully, "I am _not_ in love with Ikuto. He's just a friend." Slamming the door, she smiled and waved condescendingly.

Rima rolled down her window. "You certainly do act like each other!" she shouted in return, pulling into traffic, cutting off an innocent bystander.

"Call me about yours and Nagihiko's wedding, Rima-chan!" Amu mocked.

Stopping in her tracks as the words left her mouth, she realized that Rima was right. She _was_ acting like Ikuto.

But that didn't mean she was in love with him, did it?

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Ikuto looked around the small apartment. Everything was in perfect order. In the few hours Amu had been gone, he had cleaned the apartment from top to bottom and made a—hopefully—delicious dinner for her. And that was just his apology to her. He still had no idea how to propose to her—Yoru hadn't been very helpful.

_Flashback_

'_You've gotta show her that you're alpha male over any other male that she knows, nya,'_ Yoru insisted. He floated just above Ikuto, seeming very confident in the advice he was giving his human companion. _'And then you gotta show her you've got good traits to pass on to any kittens you'll have. That's how us cats do things, and it works for us, nya.'_

"Yoru, humans and cats are completely different. Somehow I don't think she's thinking about having 'kittens' when she's only eighteen," Ikuto said, shaking his head as he tried to hold in his laughter. He didn't want to offend the friend he was seeing for the first time in at least five years.

'_Eighteen!'_ Yoru scoffed. _'That's old enough to start having kittens, nya.'_ Scratching his chin, he asked, _'Why do you think she wouldn't be thinking about kittens? That's what females do, Ikuto, nya.'_ He said this as if to say, "Everyone knows that."

Ikuto couldn't contain his chuckles at that point. "Yoru, if she heard you say that, she would skin you alive." Moving away from the cat, he moved into the bathroom, turning on the shower. "Any other ideas would be helpful, Yoru."

'_Why not just ask her, nya? Why does it have to be so much work? If she loves you, won't it just work out?'_

"Yeah. But that's just the thing; she has to love me first."

_End Flashback_

Pulled out of his memory by the sound of the door to the apartment opening and closing with shocking softness, Ikuto made his way out of the bathroom, where he had just been finishing up folding towels—which _he_ had washed.

When he made it into the kitchen, Amu started to scream.

"I left the oven on! And something's in there! I've got to get it out before I start a fire!" She raced to flip off the oven and swung open the door without thinking, grabbing the hot pan holding the skinless chicken he had been preparing out and throwing it onto the stove. "Ow, ow, ow!" she screamed as she was burned.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" he demanded, racing to her side and grabbing her. Each of his arms wrapped around her to take one wrist into each hand, keeping his front firmly pressed to her back. He turned on the facet quickly, shoving her hands beneath the cold spray of water to cool her. "_Never_ take something out of the oven without mitts on! You could have seriously hurt yourself."

Amu bent her head backward against his chest, glaring up at him. "Well, if I would have known you were still here, I wouldn't have burnt myself! But you have absolutely no predictable visiting hours!" She dropped her head back down to look at her hands. "You can let go now; they don't hurt anymore," she grumbled, feebly trying to yank her wrists out of his hold.

He ignored her latter statement. "You should have thought about what you were doing! How could you be so unbelievably stupid? If they kitchen wasn't already on fire, it wouldn't be in the next few seconds it would take you to put on the damn oven mitts!" he hissed, leaning down as he gently rolled her hands in his, checking for any spots he might have missed. "You're lucky I plan on staying around from now on; you're almost too stupid to live alone."

"Excuse me?!" Amu tried to spin in his arms, only finding herself still held firmly in one position. "_I'm_ stupid?! You're the one who told _Rima-chan_ that we're _engaged_! That has to be the most ridiculous statement of the year! We aren't getting married!" She wiped her face against her shoulder as angry tears rolled down her face. "Let go, idiot! I told you that my hands are fine now!"

He reluctantly released her, keeping her caged against the sink. As she turned to glare at him directly, he said in an almost bored tone, "Actually, I'm pretty sure we _will_ be getting married in the near future, and I'm rarely wrong about these things."

She gaped at him for a long moment before snapping out of it in a fury of waving arms. "You come around whenever you please like some kind of tomcat and suddenly decide that you want to _marry_ me?! You don't even call when you say you will! How can I expect you to even _show up_ to the ceremony?"

He leaned down to look her in the eyes. "Because I'm going to make this work. You need a goddamned keeper!"

Her eyes widened in shocked indignation for a moment before the Cool & Spicy façade coated her features. "Oh, really? You think I need some big, strong man to take care of me? Is that it? Well, there are certainly enough of those in the world that I wouldn't have to worry about suddenly deciding that they wanted to be free and run away!" She barely kept herself composed. Clutching her fists at her sides, she said in a low, angry tone, "If you could prove to me that there's a reason to actually marry you, I might consider it. _Maybe_ considering it. But that will never happen because you don't have anything that I want."

An idea struck him, bringing a smirk to his lips. He stepped away from her, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

"Fine. You just said it yourself: if I can prove to you that there's a reason for you to marry me, you'll do it." He turned, strolling towards her—_their_, he corrected himself—bedroom. "Tomorrow night we're going out to dinner, Amu-koi. Wear something easy to get in and out of."

She stood there, completely dumbfounded for several moments before shouting, "I said I'd _consider _it!" Another pause with a slowly blooming flush. "And that better not have meant what I think it did!"

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_Phew. Glad I got that out. Lol. I kept getting Writers' Block, but luckily now it's all out of my system for the time being.  
I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter!  
__**Niixx**_

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**Preview  
First Date**

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"I can't believe I'm actually going along with this!" Amu cried as she rummaged through her closet, looking for a suitable outfit that didn't fit into his easy-to-get-in-and-out-of criteria but was good enough for the restaurant he had told her only moments before he was taking her to. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to fit into only one of the categories. "I have absolutely nothing to wear!"

She heard his snicker from behind her closed—and locked!—door and fought the urge to throw her new stiletto heels at it.

As she glared down at the shoes in her hand, a sudden burst of genius came to her. Whatever she wore shouldn't be easy on/off. No, that would just make him think that he could actually win this little game he'd created for them. What she should do was wear something that would taunt him.

And she knew the perfect outfit that would do just that.

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_Oooo! Scandalous!  
Hope you guys all like the preview. My plans for next chapter are certainly going to knock your socks off…. I hope._


	3. First Date

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary:** Amu is determined to tease Ikuto during their first date, but he has planned a surprise attack.

**A/N:** Nowhere in the manga or anime does it say that Amu can't swim. Just made it up to fit in. (hint to chapter spoilers n.n)

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**First Date**

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"I can't believe I'm actually going along with this!" Amu cried as she rummaged through her closet, looking for a suitable outfit that didn't fit into his easy-to-get-in-and-out of criteria but was good enough for the restaurant he had told her only moments before he was taking her to. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to fit into only one of the categories. "I have absolutely nothing to wear!"

She heard his snicker from behind her closed—and locked!—door and fought the urge to throw her new stiletto heels at it.

As she glared down at the shoes in her hand, a sudden burst of genius came to her. Whatever she wore shouldn't be easy on/off. No, that would just make him think that he could actually win this little game he'd created for them. What she should do was wear something that would taunt him.

And she knew the perfect outfit that would do just that.

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Ikuto checked his watch for the third time in the last five minutes. God, how long could a woman take to get ready?! He had given her only one set of instructions: something easy in and out of. He smirked a little at the thought; would she heed his request or would she think he was being perverted? _No, Amu, you really _do_ need to have something easy to get in and out of…and that can get wet after dinner._

When he moved his gaze back to the hallway that she would have to walk through to leave, he froze, breath catching in his throat as he looked at Amu. Her hair was left to lie on her shoulders, still drying from her shower. She wore a light blue halter top that gave just a hint of cleavage but clung to every curve of her body as it moved down to mid-thigh, easily short dress length. She had on a pair of skinny jeans that looked as if they were plastered to her but she didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable in them. But what topped it all off was the pair of fuck-me stiletto heels she had donned.

They were shiny and black, obviously new. As she moved toward him, he wondered how she could possibly walk in them; they had to be three-inches high and put the top of her head just below his chin. He wondered how often he would get to catch her when she toppled, amounting in an innocent feel-up, of course.

But she didn't waver as she glided towards him, keeping her eyes locked with his in a battle of arrogance. In fact, if he didn't stop having to stop his eyes from dropping to her perfectly compacted breasts in that shirt, he would be the one _losing_…and in a war of such importance!

"Don't you look"—he paused his low purring for dramatic effect—"_edible_ tonight, _Amu-koi_." He added the honorific to send her off balance, as he planned to do throughout the night. If she wanted to battle him, she should know he fought dirty every chance he got.

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_Amu's P.O.V._

Ikuto was actually being a…dare I utter these words for fear of tempting fate…gentleman? Something had to be wrong. He was suddenly going to announce that he'd done something horrible, that he was going to kidnap me and force me into prostitution or illegal drug testing or _something_! There was _no way _that he was just being nice. No, he had an ulterior motive and I wanted to find out what it was.

Immediately.

In the restaurant, he'd been only too much like Tadase-kun. He'd held out my chair for me—without yanking it back so I fell on my ass!—and allowed me to order anything I wanted, insisting that he could take care of the payment issue. Yeah, I know it's the twenty-first century, but free food is free food. Any college student—or anyone saving _up_ for college—knows when to jump at free food. Ramen can only stay tasty for so long.

And, since he was being kind, I didn't see any point in teasing him, as I had planned. Besides, I felt so…watched in the tiny bar/grill he had taken me to. I didn't want to draw any more attention to me or my outfit.

But when we got in his car, he got that Ikuto-smirk on his face again. That one that told me I was in serious trouble. My heart leapt in my chest—it did that a lot around him since I realized that not everything is black and white about wrong and right—and started racing instantaneously. And that meant I wouldn't be at full power battling him.

When he missed the turn for my apartment complex—I _knew_ he knew the way there perfectly from anywhere in the city—I became worried as my thoughts fled back to the other possibilities of his uncommon teasing-less night. What _was_ he planning?!

"I-Ikuto, wh-where are you t-taking m-me?" I stuttered, already imagining the worst. Maybe black and white was a good way to keep everything….

He didn't spare me a glance, but assured me, "Don't worry; I'm not selling you on the Black Market. I just want to show you the best place in the world. I used to go there whenever things got too"—his eyes filled with that self-disgust that I loathed—"let's say, hectic."

Everything was silent for a moment before I felt an improper burst of giggling coming up my throat. Bad timing, but I couldn't stop it. "Thank God," I chuckled. "I was honestly thinking the worst. Selling me into prostitution, testing me with illegal drugs, and anything else along those lines." I wiped my forehead theatrically for dry, imaginary sweat. "Good thing you just _promised_ this has nothing to do with the Black Market."

I was a little surprised to hear him start laughing as he parked the car on an old bridge with one lone street lamp that lighted the area just enough for me to make out the gleam of his white teeth as he smiled broadly.

We stepped out of the car and into the fresh air that calmed me. As we made our way to the river bank below, I didn't realize that Ikuto was behind me until he wrapped his arms around me, trapping my own against my sides. In my ear, he whispered, "Strip, Amu."

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_Ikuto's P.O.V._

I couldn't help it. I had to do _something_ to freak her out. The night wouldn't be complete without it.

Prepared for her to scream, I clamped one hand over her mouth as she was inhaling. "Calm down, Amu-koi; you don't want to go swimming in your taunt-Ikuto clothes, do you?" She froze; she hadn't thought that I would know exactly what she was trying to do when she stepped out of her bedroom in that outfit. I released her mouth slowly, not knowing whether she would scream or be furious with me. Either didn't matter. I already had a plan.

She turned in my arms, glaring up at me. Fury. That was good. Her reaction would be all the better. "You disgusting—"

"Take a deep breath," I ordered while grabbing her close and crouching to leap.

Her eyes widened to an unbelievable degree of surprise as she screamed, "Don't you dare—" Her voice cut off with a scream as we were suddenly airborne and hurtling towards the icy water. Before we could touch the water, she shouted, "Ikuto, don't let go!"

And it suddenly hit me.

I had never seen Amu in anything deeper than the shallow end of a pool, nor had she ever jumped into the river with her Guardian friends. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her duck her head under water before….

_Shit_.

We went into the water and she had her arms like a noose around my neck. Guilt assailed me as I wrapped my body around hers, trying to keep her body straight so that we would hit the bottom faster. When I felt the mush against my old running shoes—_thank God she took off her heels in the car_—I kicked off with all my might, sending us shooting towards the surface.

We broke the water quickly; we couldn't have been under for more than a few seconds. _Please, please, _please_, don't hate me for this_, I thought to myself as I one-arm paddled us to the shore. She shivered against me the whole while, not saying one word. Her eyes were clamped shut and I felt like a complete ass. I shouldn't have decided to dunk us; this was all a mistake. Now all my chances were gone and she would never trust me again.

And how can you marry someone you don't trust?

Her breathless whisper, however, shocked me beyond belief. Her arms tightened around me as I pulled us onto the shore, laying on my back with her draped across my chest as I felt every horrible thing she could say to me come crashing down in my mind.

"Thank you, Ikuto." Her eyes were big and sincere as a child-like innocence filled them. At my incredulous look, she said, "You didn't let go."

---------------

They were looking into each others' eyes, just watching each other. It was a movie-perfect moment; they were going to kiss, the feeling was in the air. They seemed to be in slow-motion, moving their heads towards one another's. Everything bled romanticism….

Until the flashlight shined on them from above.

Ikuto's head swung up as Amu ducked her head into his chest. He glared at the uniformed man standing on the bridge, who was giving them an all-knowing look. "Sorry to break up the love fest, kids," the officer said. "But you're gonna have to take it somewhere else." He stood there shining the light on them as Amu jumped up, blushing profusely, and Ikuto slowly moved to stand, aggravated by the intrusion. As he walked away, the officer threw over his shoulder, "Best not go in that water again, either. Heard there are leeches in there."

Amu squealed, instantly checking her various appendages for the little pests. "Ikuto, do you see any on me?! Leeches are so gross!"

Seems the end of their date would be peeling bloodsuckers off each other. Yipee.

-------------

When they finally found their way back to the car, Ikuto was in a sour mood while Amu tried to analyze how she could possibly have been ready to kiss him.

_Well, he _did_ keep me from drowning. But it was his fault in the first place! And, besides, every other time he saved me, I didn't feel like I needed to kiss him._

'_It's because you're in love with him, Amu-chan!'_ Ran's annoyingly cheerful voice rang in her mind, chorused by Suu's bright agreement. _'If you weren't, you wouldn't want to kiss him half as badly! And how can you not know how to swim?!'_

Amu ignored the bickering that ensued, allowing it to be background music to her other thoughts racing through her head. She _wasn't_ in love with him, of that she was certain. Well, how could she be?! He was arrogant, teasing, rarely serious, tall, dark, handsome, caring….

'_Amu-chan,'_ Miki's reasonable tone immediately alerted Amu to what was coming next. _'You love him. That much is obvious from your dreams alone; add that to your words and actions and you've got a perfect masterpiece.'_

_No! I am not in love with him! Just because I find him attractive doesn't mean anything._

'_Lust can easily turn into love,'_ Suu pointed out.

_No, it—am I arguing with my own personalities?_ She sighed. She was going insane and it was all cat-boy's fault.

---------------

When they got to Amu's apartment, everything was quite as they took turns changing their wet clothes in the bathroom. After an inspection of herself in the mirror proved that no leeches were attached to her, Amu made her way back into her bedroom where Ikuto had already crawled under the covers and was probably half asleep.

She crept towards the bed quietly, gently putting her weight down on it so as not to wake him if he _was_ asleep. You see, when he wasn't under Easter's control with X-eggs, he was a relatively light sleeper and woke when anything happened. Glancing at the clock, it showed that it was ten-thirty. She groaned to herself; she had to get up at six-thirty if she wanted to get to work on time. God, she hated that place. Convenient stores were such a bother.

The moment she settled into bed, it seemed, the phone began ringing shrilly, jerking both she and Ikuto out of their half-sleeping dozes. But as she would have risen to go get it, Ikuto swung towards her, wrapping her in his arms as the rest of his body curled around her.

"Don't get up. Let the machine get it."

The simple words were enough for her and she got used to the ringing before too long. In fact, everything was perfect as she snuggled back into his warmth, bringing the blanket around the rest of her.

"_Hi, you've reached Hinamori Amu. Sorry I couldn't make it to the phone, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks!"_ Beep!

"_Uh…hi, Amu. I didn't realize how late it is but…well, I was wondering if you're free tomorrow night?"_

Tadase's voice on the answering machine seemed to send a bolt of unease through them both as they listened to the rest of the message, Ikuto as tense as a lion ready to pounce.

"_Uhm…well, I just wanted to say sorry for calling so late; you must be asleep. Well, call me back! Bye."_ Click!

There was a long silence between the two in the bed as Ikuto tried to fight back violence and Amu tried to take it in. Was Tadase…asking her on a date? Really? Why?

"So…looks like you've got a fan boy to turn down, huh?" Ikuto growled, the rumble echoing across her back. When she started to turn over, he loosened his hold just enough to allow her to do so. "How are you going to break the news to the Kiddy King that you're engaged? Worst of all, it's to me."

She rolled her eyes and ducked her head into his chest, fingers tightening in his shirt. "Whatever, Ikuto. If I want to go on a date with Tadase I'll—" She yawned, allowing her tormentor to cut in.

"Vomit."

She slapped his shoulder lightly, giving another large yawn. "Oh, shut up and let me sleep."

---------------

_**Attention!**__  
Now that I have your attention, I would like to announce that I am looking for a beta for this story. To put it shortly, if you're interested, please send me a PM and I will reply to all with an application. Please don't get scared away by that! I just want this story to be the best it can be and so I'm going to be very picky about specifics. If you don't want chapters earlier (of course, you'll go through correcting them) or don't want to tell me that I need to update because my new TWO WEEK UPDATE RULE is about to collapse around me, please do not apply.  
For those interested, I will send the pros and cons list to you, if you'd like.  
Until later:  
__**Niixx**__  
P.S. I've found a program that can be used to create icons and I really want to test it out with something other than my name. Lol. So if you want one, contact me!_

---------------

**Preview:  
Yoru's Advice**

---------------

'_Ikuto, don't be so quick to forget my advice, nya!'_ Yoru encouraged, floating just above where Ikuto could swat at him. _'Show her that you got better genes than that loser, nya.'_ He made a face as he looked at the pair joking across the table. _'You guys would have much better looking kittens, you know.'_

_Would you stop calling them kittens?! To humans, they're babies. _Babies_!_ Ikuto couldn't help the snap in his voice but regretted it. _Sorry. I've been on edge since they started this whole thing._

'_Tell her how strong your kittens would be.'_

_I am not telling Amu that we're going to have kittens!_

---------------

_Bwahhahaha! Next chapter shall be very devious.  
Only not really. Lol. I'm working out the kinks as we speak. :P_


	4. Yoru's Advice

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary: **Tadase starts coming around a lot more, driving Ikuto to do something drastic: take Yoru's advice.

---------------

**Yoru's Advice**

---------------

'_Ikuto, don't be so quick to forget my advice, nya!'_ Yoru encouraged, floating just above where Ikuto could swat at him. _'Show her that you got better genes than that loser, nya.'_ He made a face as he looked at the pair joking across the table. _'You guys would have much better looking kittens, you know.'_

_Would you stop calling them kittens?! To humans, they're babies. _Babies_!_ Ikuto couldn't help the snap in his voice but regretted it. _Sorry. I've been on edge since they started this whole thing._

'_Tell her how strong your kittens would be.'_

_I am not telling Amu that we're going to have kittens!_

Amu had called Tadase back that morning while she was at work to tell him that she would _love_ to go on a date with him and that he could pick her up at her place around seven. That meant that the moment she got home at four, she was dashing about, trying to pretty herself up.

And it had made Ikuto sick to his stomach.

Now Tadase sat in _Ikuto's_ kitchen—_it's more mine than his, damnit!_—and flirted with _Ikuto's_ woman, casually coming up with excuses to touch her, which was _Ikuto's_ job! He tapped his fingers restlessly on the table, barely able to control the growls threatening to escape his throat.

'_I'm telling you, Ikuto, nya. Just show her that you're the strongest male here. It works, believe me, nya.'_

Eye twitching, Ikuto rubbed his temple, trying to stop himself from taking his anger out on Yoru, who really was only trying to help. If only he had advice on _human_ women, then it would actually be useful. _Yoru, I can't act like a cat because she's a human. She would probably react in a very…bad way._ Ikuto flinched as he thought of the wrath Amu would set loose on his head should he try any of _Yoru's_ tactics.

'_Don't be so sure, nya.'_

With that, Yoru dissipated from sight with a smirk on his face, leaving Ikuto alone to deal with the anger coursing through him at the sight of Tadase and Amu.

"Amu-chan, do you think we should get going?" Tadase asked, glancing at his watch with a slight furrowing of his brow at the time. "It's already eight o'clock; I'm sure if we wanna catch that movie, we'll have to leave now." He stood, briefly catching Ikuto's eye to nod in a way of acknowledging him. "It was good seeing you, Tsukiyomi." He held out Amu's jacket for her to slip her arms into it.

But Ikuto had had enough. No, Amu would _not_ be going with Tadase, not if he had anything to say about it.

"Actually," Ikuto said, standing up and nearly tipping over his chair in his haste. "I don't think Amu's going to be able to go tonight, Kiddy King. Sorry." He moved to where the two stood, placing himself between them and gently nudging Amu farther away from Tadase. "Maybe some other time."

He took Amu by the shoulders, forcing her to move into her bedroom. When she didn't fight him any of the way, he became suspicious of her silence and cringed. She was going to skin him alive.

"Ikuto," she hissed when they got into her room. She turned towards him and he flinched slightly, but didn't allow her to leave the room. "We—I!—have a guest and you shouldn't be so quick to try to take over _my_ affairs!" She tried to shove past him, but he just stood there in a bouncer-like position. "Move!"

"Amu-chan, is everything alright?" Tadase asked as he made his way to the doorway that Ikuto was blocking. He glared at Ikuto, who could feel the look digging into the back of his head. "Do you need me to call someone to get him out of here?"

The years had not changed much about Tadase. He still had his blonde hair, though he didn't grow it out nearly as long, and ruby-colored eyes. He had grown a little, as well, much taller than Amu now, but still not as tall as Ikuto. He had filled out a little more, as well; his shoulders were broader from working out with Kuukai and his sense of style much more casual. But he still felt the need to be controller of the situation.

"Shut up, Kiddy King; we were having a _private _conversation about our engagement and what that entitles." He sent Amu a challenging stare, daring her to deny that that was the game they were playing.

"She told me all about this over the phone, Tsukiyomi. So, whatever you're playing at, leave it alone."

"Ikuto, we are not dating, nor are we engaged, so don't think that you can boss me around and tell me who I can and cannot spend time with!"

That was the straw that broke the cat's back. Suddenly, Yoru's advice was the only thing he could think of and the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Do you honestly think _he_ would make a better fiancé?!" When Amu made no sound, he continued. "Well at least _our_ kittens—our _kids_—" He cut off as the words left his mouth. _Damnit, Yoru. Now I _did_ end up telling her that we're going to have kittens!_

'_I don't see the problem, nya.'_

Snarling in his mind, Ikuto glanced down at Amu, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Did…did you just say _kittens_?" she questioned, trying to stifle her giggles behind her hand as her other arm wrapped around her stomach for support. Finally a snort came free and she began laughing uncontrollably, nearly falling to the ground.

"No, I said kids, damnit!" When Tadase's own chuckle escaped from behind him, Ikuto growled, "Shut the hell up, Kiddy King; no one asked you!" Knowing his cheeks were flushing and not liking the feeling, Ikuto tried to think of something—anything—to turn this situation around so Amu wouldn't think he was a complete basket case stuck on fantasies of his youth.

"Is that why you call him 'Kiddy King'?" Amu giggled. "Because you can't tell the difference between kids and kittens? Maybe you have a speech impediment that makes you say 'kiddy' instead of 'kitty'."

Ikuto was about to back away and let Amu just go off with Tadase when he saw the happiness in her face. There was no sign of mocking or disgust, just glee. Did she really just think it was funny? He raised an eyebrow as Amu leaned around him, watching her as she spoke to Tadase.

"Let's reschedule for tomorrow night, if that's all right. I think I need to teach Ikuto the difference between cats and people."

After a moment of silence, Tadase smiled in return. "All right. Teach him well, Amu-chan. Tomorrow, we'll actually go to the movie." He walked away, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

Trying not to show how uncomfortable he was, Ikuto crossed to the bed and plopped down on it. "Don't say a word," he muttered as he toed off his shoes. He flung himself back against the mattress, putting one arm over his eyes to block out the light—and Amu's taunting face.

"Oh, Ikuto, don't be such a baby," she replied, laughter in her voice. "It really wasn't that bad. In fact, it was kind of expected, considering that your internal voice is a cat." He felt her weight sink into the bed beside his chest. "Besides, you used to tease me all the time when I didn't say something right." She lifted his arm off his face. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

---------------

The next day, Ikuto _thought_ he had everything under control. He would just make sure that he didn't listen to a word Yoru said. And what was the harm in letting Amu go to some stupid movie with Tadase? She probably wouldn't let him get very far, anyways.

'_She used to be in love with him, nya.'_

Damnit, how had Yoru gotten into his conscious mind? Things could definitely turn ugly here.

So, Ikuto locked himself in the bathroom, disappearing into the shower when Tadase showed up. There was no way that he was going to let himself get flustered all over again, especially not in front of the Kiddy King.

When he heard the door of the apartment open and close, he turned off the shower and slipped a towel around his waist. As he made his way back into the bedroom, he simply laid back on the bed, not bothering to get dressed yet. Maybe he would think better _without_ pants on.

_How do I show Amu that I'm more right for her than that stupid Kiddy King? Why does she always go back to him instead of coming to me? I thought we'd made progress over the years!_

He sat there for what seemed like an hour but turned out to be only fifteen minutes, trying to figure out what he could do to get her to acknowledge that she loved him. Unlike what Yoru had suggested, he couldn't just fight the kid; Amu would only get angry and probably stubbornly refuse to be anything to him. And he couldn't just come out and ask her to marry him because he loved her. She would think he was just a jealous fool that wanted exclusive rights.

This was semi-true. He _did_ want exclusive rights to her; he wouldn't share her with anyone once they were married. And he clung persistently to the knowledge that he _would_ get her to the altar, even if he had to pull out the big guns. But he was hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to that kind of desperate act. _Cause if that backfires, she'll never fall for me._

Sighing, he rose, crossing to the closet and taking out the neatly arranged clothing she had folded after doing the laundry that day. Inside the T-shirt he chose was a small package, and, after inspecting it closely, he couldn't believe what he saw. _Is that…is that catnip in my shirt?! Did she give me catnip?!_

As he shook out the shirt, a note fell out of it. Picking it up, he read the note to himself.

_Dear Ikuto,_

_Try to keep this away from the kittens; I won't raise druggies. However, living with one that I'm _not_ responsible for is okay. It's my gift to you._

_With love,_

_Amu_

He smirked to himself. _With love, huh?_ She didn't know it, but she had just given him the boost he would need to plan his next big attack on her defenses. Oh, and how he couldn't _wait_ to see those walls crumble….

---------------

Around three hours after the pair had left—Ikuto _refused_ to think of them as any sort of couple—they returned, laughing as they entered the apartment. Ikuto, who had been in the bedroom, strode out with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He kept a mocking smile plastered to his face as he got closer to the cause of all his distress, Tadase.

"How was the movie?" Ikuto asked conversationally, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs and sitting across from Tadase. "I didn't quite catch what you guys were going to see."

"Well," Amu said, grinning back at him with a flush to her face that could only come from excitement. "We _were_ going to see that romantic comedy that came out, but since it has only been open for a few days, it was sold out when we got there. So instead we went to see"—she paused, coughing to make her voice as manly as possible, though it still came out girly—"X-Men Origins: Wolverine." She and Tadase laughed, as if in on some personal joke.

"Hmm, sounds interesting," was all Ikuto could muster without jumping up and choking the life out of the other man. Jealousy was eating at his stomach, but he didn't want to show _them_ that.

"Oh, you have no idea, Ikuto!" Amu went on to race through a complete description of the whole movie, throwing in details on the amazing graphics and how it was the best X-Men movie yet. She couldn't wait for them to do another one. "You would have _loved_ it, Ikuto." She smiled brightly, the imaginary lightbulb going on over her head. "I know! We can go see it tomorrow night, if you want."

He raised an eyebrow for a moment before giving her a cautious grin. "Sure, no problem. But are you sure that you want to see it again? We could go see something else, you know."

"Oh, no, we have to go see this one! It was amazing!" She leapt out of her seat. "Well, I'll be right back, guys. That movie theatre pop goes right through me." She dashed for the bathroom, calling out, "And no fighting, do you understand?" When she slammed the door, the two men were left in dark silence as they glared at each other.

"You can leave now, Kiddy King. As you can see, she's home and doesn't need you around anymore," Ikuto sneered.

"I don't think so, Tsukiyomi Ikuto." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together. "I don't like that you're…staying here. Amu-chan seems to think that there's no reason for her not to trust you, but I can see every reason. You plan out everything just so and you're always in for personal gain. So what is it this time, Black Cat?"

Ikuto was rigid for a moment, seething with anger. He forced his voice to remain light, however, as he threw his arm over the back of his chair, slouching in his seat. "You caught me, you great detective you," he mocked. "I've decided to steal Amu's precious rare gems and sell them to some evil mastermind who will use them to power his world destruction ray. Oh, and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for a meddling little king and his overactive imagination." He glared across the table. "Stop watching Scooby Doo, Tadase."

The fury was evident on Tadase's face, but he controlled it just like anyone of royalty would. "You either move out, Ikuto, or I'll bring the police into this. I'm sure they'd _love_ to know who nearly destroyed the Easter headquarters."

Ikuto snapped. He was out of his chair in an instant, standing menacingly over Tadase. "Don't mess with something you know nothing about, _little boy_. Because the consequences are not something you will want to deal with."

"Leave Amu-chan out of whatever scheme you're planning," Tadase ordered, standing as well.

With a growl, Ikuto pulled back his fist, ready to hit the younger man in the face for his impudence. How could he know that Ikuto was planning anything? How could he think for a moment that he would allow anything to so much as touch Amu?

A soft yet strong hand grabbed his, stopping it from flying forward and burying itself in Tadase's face. "Don't you _dare_, Ikuto! I told you two not to fight while I was in the bathroom."

Turning his head, Ikuto saw that Amu was furious and ready to take it out on him. Shit, that was just his luck, wasn't it? She had to come out when _he_ was being the bad guy, not when Tadase was dictating what Ikuto do with his time.

"Tadase-kun, I want you to leave right now. I have to talk to Ikuto privately. I might call you tomorrow."

_That's right, bastard, I get to keep her._

'_You proved that you're alpha, Ikuto! Of course she'll stay with you. Women dig power, nya.'_

_Shut up._

Tadase left with a backward glare at Ikuto, saying, "If you need me, Amu-chan, I'm only a phone call away." He shut the door behind him with dignified ease, somehow making the soft click echo in the apartment.

Ikuto turned to Amu, ready to apologize, to tell her what had happened, when she dropped his arm and stalked towards their bedroom. "Where are you going, Amu?" he asked, following after her. She didn't reply, simply grabbed one of the blankets from her bed and tossed it at him, along with a pillow. "Wh-what the hell?"

"You get the couch tonight."

_Shit._

---------------

_Ouch. Poor Ikuto getting thrown in the doghouse. I didn't mean for Tadase to come out quite so vindictive, but oh, well, what can you do? Besides, this Tadase fits into the story, so he might be a little OOC, though not much, in my opinion.  
__**Niixx**__  
_

---------------

**Preview:  
Get Your Own Bed!**

---------------

"C'mon, Amu; don't you want to hear my side of the story?" Ikuto asked as he failed—once again—to crawl into the bed beside her. She seemed adamant in kicking him out onto the couch.

"No. Now go away, you big jerk."

She was so angry with him, it wasn't even right. So _what_ if he'd been about to rearrange Tadase's face? That little asshole had deserved it! Ikuto couldn't be expected to just sit by and let the wanna-be king dictate what he did and did not do with Amu, and if she would just let him tell her the story, she might actually laugh at it. Or be even angrier with him. But either way was fine.

He decided to turn on the charm. Maybe this time it would work on her. "You don't really want to kick me out of your bed, do you?" he asked quietly, smiling so that the action would be heard in his voice. _Please let her suddenly be un-immune to me,_ he prayed.

"Yes, I really do." She flipped over to glare at him from beneath her covers. "I can't believe you started a fight with Tadase for no good reason! How could he have done anything to deserve that? He was our—my!—guest and you treated him horribly." She pouted, arms crossed beneath her breasts, pushing her cleavage up and distracting him from his goal of _not_ having to spend the night on the lumpy couch that would only serve to hurt his back.

"Uhm…well…what were we talking about?" he asked, mesmerized by her cleavage.

"You pig!" Amu threw her pillow at him.

_Damn._

---------------

_Does Amu _ever_ do well trying to kick Ikuto out of bed?  
No. No she doesn't. Lol._


	5. Get Your Own Bed!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary: **Amu refuses to allow Ikuto to sleep in her bed after his fight with Tadase, but Ikuto knows how to weasel his way back in.

**A/N:** I would like to announce officially the CrimzonRozeAlchemist is my beta for this story. She helped with last chapter, but I totally forgot to mention her. Sorry, Roze! :(

---------------

**Get Your Own Bed!**

---------------

"C'mon, Amu; don't you want to hear my side of the story?" Ikuto asked as he failed—once again—to crawl into the bed beside her. She seemed adamant in kicking him out onto the couch.

"No. Now go away, you big jerk."

She was so angry with him, it wasn't even right. So _what_ if he'd been about to rearrange Tadase's face? That little asshole had deserved it! Ikuto couldn't be expected to just sit by and let the wanna-be king dictate what he did and did not do with Amu, and if she would just let him tell her the story, she might actually laugh at it. Or be even angrier with him. But either way was fine.

He decided to turn on the charm. Maybe this time it would work on her. "You don't really want to kick me out of your bed, do you?" he asked quietly, smiling so that the action would be heard in his voice. _Please let her suddenly be un-immune to me,_ he prayed.

"Yes, I really do." She flipped over to glare at him from beneath her covers. "I can't believe you started a fight with Tadase for no good reason! How could he have done anything to deserve that? He was our—my!—guest and you treated him horribly." She pouted, arms crossed beneath her breasts, pushing her cleavage up and distracting him from his goal of _not_ having to spend the night on the lumpy couch that would only serve to hurt his back.

"Uhm…well…what were we talking about?" he asked, mesmerized by her cleavage.

"You pig!" Amu threw her pillow at him.

_Damn._

"Amu, I didn't mean to, I just—"

"I don't want to hear it! Go sleep on the couch!" The only part of her now visible was the lone arm that pointed blindly towards the door of her bedroom. "I don't want you coming near me tonight!"

Raising an eyebrow, Ikuto finally sighed, making his way towards the living room. He couldn't believe she wouldn't even _listen_ to him! The fact that they were _friends_ didn't stop her from jumping to her "first" love's defense! So _what_ if he'd been about to kick the twerp's ass; he had it coming! Tadase just started coming around because Rima must have told him that Ikuto had been spending the night there!

He sank down onto the couch, working himself into even more of a temper when she slammed the door shut. As if _that_ would stop him! If he wanted to sleep in her—_it's _ours_,_ he thought vengefully—than she had better make room there for him!

It seems, even in his own mind, that he was more talk than actual action.

He slept that night on the couch, nearly too long for the stupid thing. It was uncomfortable and lumpy and might actually smell worse than mildew. And there were few scents he hated more than the mildew stench.

---------------

_He didn't even _try_ to sneak in last night! What if he isn't even here this morning?! Oh, God, what if he never speaks to me again?! I was just angry! He's never stayed out of bed before!_

Amu had been awake most the night, worrying that she had truly pushed away one of her closest friends. She'd been angry the night before—furious, really. But he _had_ started a battle in the middle of her crowded kitchen, and she couldn't afford to be kicked out of her apartment. But that didn't mean that she had the right to not even _listen_ to his side of the story.

He was right; she should have asked him what had happened instead of jumping to conclusions. It hadn't been fair of her.

But she couldn't believe he'd actually stayed out of the bed!

Standing, she slowly shook her limbs out, feeling the weightiness of them. Moving silently to her closet, she pulled on her favorite purple sweater and comfiest pair of jeans. She threw them on the bed, crossing the room to her dresser to get a fresh pair of panties and a bra. After her shower, she would try to find him and apologize.

Without wondering _why_ the bathroom door was closed, Amu burst in. Already hastily unbuttoning her pajama top, she nearly imploded with delight when she saw Ikuto standing at her mirror, brushing his teeth in nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his slim waist.

His hair was still slightly damp, implying that he had recently gotten out of the shower, as did the towel. He had obviously shaved, as well, though he didn't seem to be completely awake. His eyes caught hers in the mirror as the motions of his toothbrush slowed. Narrowing, the blue orbs didn't leave her as he spat into the sink.

"Unless you're planning to continue undressing, you owe me big," he said in annoyance, lazily turning towards her. "That couch is nasty smelling and uncomfortable as hell. And _definitely _too cold when you insist on leaving the window open all night!"

She blushed furiously, realizing that as she'd been overcome with happiness to find him still hanging around, she had in fact continued unbuttoning her shirt. Quelling the flush, she said in her rarely used "Cool 'n' Spicy" tone, "Hmm, then it seems I owe you big." He raised an eyebrow, moving closer to her slowly. The tone vanished as she backed right out of the door, gaping at him as he followed. "Wh-what are you doing, Ikuto?" Nothing. "Ikuto?!"

"Let's see how you're going to make up for my night of hell."

For every step she took back, he took one forward, herding her into her bedroom and trapping her between her bed and his barely-clad body.

A lump rose in her throat. Oh, God, what had she gotten herself into? She shouldn't have wished for him to be there; she should have just left well enough alone. "I-Ikuto…now don't do anything rash!" Her voice rose to near screech levels as his face lowered towards hers, her cheeks flaming brightly. In her nervousness, she overbalanced, falling onto the bed.

They both froze before Ikuto started chuckling in earnest. She stared up at him in horror as he genuinely lost control of himself. Sinking to the floor, he held his stomach, oblivious to the fact that his towel was riding dangerously low on his hips.

"Con-consider yourself…paid in full!" Barely able to get that out, he tried to calm down, only to find it nearly impossible for him. He didn't stop laughing until Amu stood over him, a dark air surrounding her. His chuckles diminished as he explained half-heartedly, "Your face was so red; you looked like you were going to pee your pants!"

When she didn't seem to see the humor in the situation that he did, he rose, one hand holding the towel securely at his waist, the other reaching out for her. "Aw, come on, Amu-_koi_; don't be mad. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Just as his arm would have wrapped around her to draw her closer, anger flared in her eyes and she shouted, "Don't touch me, you jerk!" and flailed wildly to push him away. Her hand caught part of the towel, pulling the material from his shocked hold.

Her face flamed again as the barrier between her and his nakedness hit the ground with a soft, wet sound and she took it all in. With a cry, she fled the room. "P-put some clo-clothes on!" The door slammed behind her.

He laughed quietly to himself as he got the towel and went to the closet, grabbing his clothing.

---------------

"Y-you can't just wander around my house in a towel, pervert!" Amu cried later that night as they got ready for bed. She'd tried avoiding him most of the day, but hadn't succeeded. He'd been determined to follow her around constantly, sneaking up on her whenever possible.

"Aw, don't be such a prude, Amu," Ikuto replied jokingly, yawning with a long stretch. "Besides, that makes us even, doesn't it? I saw yours, you saw mine."

She groaned, flinging herself under the covers and jerking them over her head. "Go away, perv!" Her shout was muffled by the thick comforter between them. "I thought that maybe today was going to be the _one_ day that you wouldn't be perverted! But apparently you can't handle twenty-four hours without doing something sexual to me!"

Sliding into the bed beside her, he somehow managed to wrestle away some of the covers, moving silently beneath them as well. He shrugged and squirmed until he was lying across her back. "It's because I always think about sex with you."

He couldn't believe how surprised she was by his crude statement. Turning her head so she could gawk at him, she finally sputtered, "That's it! Get out!" and shoved him forcefully onto the floor. Leaning over the side of the bed, she growled, "Perverted old men sleep _on the couch_!"

Rising slowly, he gently pushed her over, moving back under the covers. "Nice try. I'm sleeping here tonight. I don't think my back can take another beating like that." He gently pulled her into his chest, yawning once more like a contented cat. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

"Get out."

"Amu, I'm trying to sleep. Be a sweetheart and shut up."

"Get your own bed!"

"This _is_ my bed."

"It is not! Get out, pervert!"

A brief tussle ensued as Amu tried to wriggle enough out of his hold that she could escape and push him away without having to worry about falling with him. Ikuto, of course, won, ending with her back to his front while his body naturally curled around her in a protective—and possessive—position. "Mmm, I'm glad you're still warm," he murmured into her hair.

"Shut up," she snarled before squirming once more. "Let go; I'm going to sleep on the couch." She broke free of his hold, standing with a humph of indignation before striding into the living room.

_How did _I _end up sleeping on the couch?! This is going to be the night from hell!_

---------------

Amu woke the next morning, expecting a hard pain in her back and scared to move. _At least it's warm_, she concluded, trying to remain optimistic so as not to start an argument with Suu or Ran that early in the morning. Just as she would have attempted to shift, she heard a low groan from beneath her and felt the couch shift underneath her body.

Eyes flying open, Amu found herself staring at a sleeping Ikuto, whose face was contorted in obvious pain. _I…I don't remember falling asleep on top of him…._ She slowly started to move away from him, hoping to wake him gently. _He did that,_ she knew, _so that I wouldn't hurt my own back. Because I would have known if he'd copped a feel in my sleep. I'll run him a hot bath to help with his back._

When she stood, her wrist was instantly held in his hand, stopping her from moving. "What're you doing?" he asked groggily, glaring up at her with drowsy eyes as if she'd committed a crime.

"Would you like breakfast or a hot bath first?" she asked quietly, much like her mother had to her father whenever he was sick or in one of his emotional blackholes.

He blinked a few times, before moaning. "Goddamnit, I'm dreaming." He dropped her arm and flipped onto his side, turning his face into the back of the couch. "If this were actually real, I'd want breakfast first. I'm starving."

She smiled then quickly wiped it off her face. "What do you want for breakfast, though? Do you expect me to read your mind?" She tried to keep her voice harsh, even put her hands on her hips for visual enhancement. "Ikuto, you need to stop expecting me to be superwoman!"

Realization was slow to dawn on him as he turned over, wincing when he sat up. He looked up at her suspiciously. "Am I really awake?" She nodded. "Shit. Sorry." He stood, hand going to the small of his back. He gave a low groan and Amu's pretense of anger was quickly forgotten.

Guiding him back to the couch, she worried, "Just sit back! I'll make you some breakfast and run a hot bath for you. It's my fault, anyways." Once assured he would stay on the couch, she twisted on her heel, ready to run into the kitchen when he grabbed her arm and tugged her into his lap.

"Thanks, Amu-koi," he murmured as he buried his nose where her neck met her shoulder.

She blushed furiously. "No, i-it was my f-fault. Don't th-thank me." She started scooting off his lap, but his arm swung around her hips, holding her to him. "St-stop it, Ikuto! I mean it! Let go!" He didn't. "Please, Ikuto! I need to go make breakfast!" She tried to think of any excuse for him to let her go.

"On one condition, Amu-_koi_," he said, looking up to smirk at her.

Her face flamed higher. "I will _not_ call you Ikuto-koi!"

"Then you will _not_ get up. I can sit here all day, if you like." When she began fighting his hold, however, he flinched, leaning back against the couch. "Maybe not," he muttered to himself.

Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ikuto-koi," she grumbled, barely audible.

"Excuse me?" he asked teasingly. "I don't believe I heard you."

"Ikuto-koi."

"Louder, please. I can't hear you over the wind."

"There is no wind, you asshole!"

"Temper, temper!"

"You know that I called you Ikuto-koi!"

He smirked. "Now I know for sure and _you_ can't deny it." He let her go, even went so far as to guide her to standing. He swatted her ass playfully, walking towards the bedroom while throwing over his shoulder, "I'd really like some bacon and eggs, if you don't mind."

"I hate you, Ikuto-ko—I mean, Ikuto!"

He poked his head out of the bedroom, already having taken off his shirt. "This whole thing could have been avoided if you'd just listen to my side of the Tadase thing!" he mocked.

"Shut up!"

---------------

_Well, kind of a short chapter. Lol. Sorry everyone. :P__  
__But don't worry! I'm officially on summer break, so I should be able to write a lot more often. Hell, I might—__might__ being the operative word—be able to update more than once every two weeks! Who knows?!__  
_**_Niixx_**

---------------

**Preview:****  
****Already Wifely**

---------------

"Aw, Amu, don't get so upset. What're you going to do when I tease you while we're married? You can't just ignore me then," Ikuto said, trying not to laugh at the pinkette. She laid in their bed facing away from him, arms crossed as she pouted about him making her call him "Ikuto-koi". She hadn't spoken to him since yelling at him to shut up, dropping his breakfast haphazardly in front of him at the table and skipping the bath all together.

He knew that saying they were getting married would get her to talk, but he hadn't expected it to make her freak out.

"I will not marry you, you…you…. I can't even come up with an insult rude enough for what you are!" She flipped onto her other side, facing him in the bed. Poking one finger into his chest, she hissed, "And for another thing—"

The phone rang, cutting into her onslaught. Ignoring her protest, Ikuto rose, moving fluidly to go answer it, a definite hop in his step. She followed after a moment, remembering that the people that _usually_ called her—namely her father—wouldn't like the idea of Ikuto being there so late at night. "Ikuto, don't answer—"

Of course, he ignored her. "Hello?" he asked, picking up the phone. "Oh, hi, Hinamori-sama. Yes, she's right here. What am I doing here? Hasn't Amu told you yet? We're engaged. Well, it was kind of sudden. No, no, you don't have to worry about that; I've got it covered. No, really, it's fine." Ikuto looked down at the horrified Amu and mouthed, "What's wrong with you?" as if it were perfectly normal for him to talk on the phone well past the appropriate time with her parents.

"Don't lie to my parents!" she snarled, keeping her voice low.

He shrugged, covering the phone with one hand while tilting it away from his face. "It isn't lying if it's gonna happen." He returned to his phone call. "Sorry about that, what did you say? Oh, yeah!" He chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell her that the next time I see him. Uh-huh. All right, I'll let you go then. Amu will call you back in the morning; I'll make sure of it. Yup. You, too. Bye." He hung up.

And she attacked.

---------------

_This was completely out of the blue. Lol. I was with my "fiancé" (a joke between my whole grade and I) and had this conversation on his cellphone with his mother. She thinks we're dating now. Haha. :D_


	6. Already Wifely

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary:** Ikuto tries to convince Amu that she already acts as if they're married.

---------------

**Already Wifely**

---------------

"Aw, Amu, don't get so upset. What're you going to do when I tease you while we're married? You can't just ignore me then," Ikuto said, trying not to laugh at the pinkette. She laid in their bed facing away from him, arms crossed as she pouted about him making her call him "Ikuto-koi". She hadn't spoken to him since yelling at him to shut up, dropping his breakfast haphazardly in front of him at the table and skipping the bath all together.

He knew that saying they were getting married would get her to talk, but he hadn't expected it to make her freak out.

"I will not marry you, you…you…. I can't even come up with an insult rude enough for what you are!" She flipped onto her other side, facing him in the bed. Poking one finger into his chest, she hissed, "And for another thing—"

The phone rang, cutting into her onslaught. Ignoring her protest, Ikuto rose, moving fluidly to go answer it, a definite hop in his step. She followed after a moment, remembering that the people that _usually_ called her—namely her father—wouldn't like the idea of Ikuto being there so late at night. "Ikuto, don't answer—"

Of course, he ignored her. "Hello?" he asked, picking up the phone. "Oh, hi, Hinamori-sama. Yes, she's right here. What am I doing here? Hasn't Amu told you yet? We're engaged. Well, it was kind of sudden. No, no, you don't have to worry about that; I've got it covered. No, really, it's fine." Ikuto looked down at the horrified Amu and mouthed, "What's wrong with you?" as if it were perfectly normal for him to talk on the phone well past the appropriate time with her parents.

"Don't lie to my parents!" she snarled, keeping her voice low.

He shrugged, covering the phone with one hand while tilting it away from his face. "It isn't lying if it's gonna happen." He returned to his phone call. "Sorry about that, what did you say? Oh, yeah!" He chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell her that the next time I see him. Uh-huh. All right, I'll let you go then. Amu will call you back in the morning; I'll make sure of it. Yup. You, too. Bye." He hung up.

And she attacked.

Pouncing on him, she toppled them both to the ground. Clenching her hands into fists, she pummeled—ineffectively—on his chest, making no more of a ripple than a temperamental child would. "You idiot! How could you be so stupid as to tell my _parents_ that we're getting _married_?! My father is going to freak and I'll never hear the end of it from them when we _don't_ get married!" She slammed her fists onto his chest all the more. "You are such a moron!"

"Amu-koi," Ikuto said, grabbing her wrists and pulling them above her head so she would stop hitting him. Gently, he tried not to let his amusement shine through as he spoke. "Just calm down. You don't have to worry about never hearing the end of it because _I_ will make sure that we _do_ get married. Preferably sooner rather than later, though; something about not wearing white after Labor Day…."

Breathing heavily, Amu growled, "Let go of me. I am _this close_ to ripping your tongue out of your mouth for lying all the time!" When he didn't comply, she let out a small shriek, wriggling while astride him to get loose.

"Keep that up and we might never get to bed."

A sudden flush came to her face as she froze. She hadn't even thought of their position! Oh, God, she really was getting too used to his perverted antics for her own good. "L-let me up, lecher," she squeaked, trying to stand.

She found her back abruptly against the carpeted floor, her wrists still captured by Ikuto's. He leaned over her, smirking from above. "Ah, Amu-koi, no need to be so shy. We've slept together countless times, haven't we?" He bent towards her face, bringing his own beside her head. Blowing on her ear, he murmured, "Besides, I already know all your erotic places."

Face heating all the more, Amu squirmed in earnest. "You…you big pervert! Get off of me!" Somehow, she managed to throw Ikuto off of her. She jumped up, racing towards her bedroom while Ikuto chuckled from the spot she'd thrown him. When she got into her room, she spun to slam the door, only to find him standing there, giving her that mockingly sexy look that he usually used with her. "You, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, are a pervert!"

He smiled sardonically. "Ah, Amu-koi, that hurts." His hand went to his heart in mock pain as he slowly moved towards her, forcing her to back away with a look of utter fury on her face. "Hey, don't be mad at me," Ikuto said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, "when you're the one that jumped on top of me."

"Idiot!"

He yawned, used to all her insults. "Let's just go to bed, Amu-koi. I'm tired and this fight will inevitably end in my favor." He slid under the covers and rested his head in his palm, watching her. "Well? You coming to bed, or what?"

She eyed him before climbing under the covers, keeping watch of his movements. "Promise you aren't going to do anything lecherous to me while I sleep?"

"If that's the only way to get you to keep me warm tonight, yeah, fine."

She held out her pinky. "Pinky-promise or no deal."

"Why the hell would I pinky-promise?!"

"Because if you break a pinky-promise, I get to hit you."

He rolled his eyes, bringing his pinky to link with hers. "Fine, whatever. Now go to sleep." She turned away from him and he pulled her into the crook of his body, wanting to purr with the comforting warmth she supplied.

Hand resting on her stomach, he wondered idly if he was particularly frightened by the aspect of her hitting him. Finding he wasn't, he let his hand drift farther north until it rested on her breast.

She let out an ear-piercing scream, flipping onto her side to punch him in the arm. With her awkward position, it didn't do much good. "Liars aren't allowed to stay in bed, perv!" She hit him again for good measure, fuming as she tried to loosen his hold around her waist. "Let me up, you stupid, idiotic, old pervert! I trusted you! You pinky-promised! You can't just _break_ a pinky-promise!"

"Mmm, Amu-koi, you do realize that you are acting very much like a wife already, right?"

She let out a small shriek. "You idiot! Go sleep on the couch before I have to do something drastic!"

"Even sound like a wife."

"Shut up!"

"At the risk of repeating myself, you sound like a wife already. Why not just make it official and go elope tomorrow morning?"

"I will not elope _with you_!"

"Then let's go get everything ready for whatever kind of ceremony you want. Big, small, I don't really care." He snuggled his face into her hair. "Yum, I like your new shampoo, as well."

She struggled against his hold for a little while, muttering under her breath about his questionable legitimacy as a child and intelligence. Finally, she gave up the futile fight, realizing that he didn't even notice her little resistance. In fact, he was quite nearly asleep.

Following his example, she allowed herself to fall asleep, wondering if that was a smart thing to do with a neko hentai in her bed.

---------------

_Ikuto's P.O.V._

I woke up to someone poking my cheek in a rather annoying manner, bringing me out of my dream world rudely. And just when Amu had started stripping. Damn.

"Ikuto, get up," Amu's voice growled. "It's nearly eleven o'clock; why aren't you awake already?"

Maybe because I was just about to get a small slice of heaven in my dream. Of course I wouldn't want to wake up when I had a dream like that. Opening my eyes, I said, "Mmm starvin'." My throat felt rough with sleep, making it hard to talk using words that anyone could actually understand.

"Well, that sucks for you, doesn't it?" She sighed, sitting on the bed beside me. She gave me a hard glare before muttering, "I'll make you a deal."

I eyed her. She was already ready for the day; her hair was still a little damp—_Damnit, I missed the shower scene_, I thought to myself—and her clothes were neat. She had on her nametag, so that meant she probably had to work today. "You gonna call in sick and spend some _quality time_ with me?" I asked mockingly, raising my eyebrow. Yeah, I was a little mean about it; you try sleeping with the object of your desire without actually touching her.

Crossing her arms, she continued glowering at me. "I'll be going to work _like a normal person_—"

"Hey, I have a job."

She blinked at me, as if surprised. "_You_ have a job? _You_, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, have a _job_? When could you possibly have _ever_ gone into work?"

"Obviously, I have to work," I replied, not in the least bit offended by her disbelief that I could join the ranks of people who actually _do_ something with their lives that directly or indirectly affect another. "Even _I_ can't get by on good looks alone." I paused for a moment. "Besides, it's summer; I teach music at a little elementary school in the next town. Not really a problem."

She blinked at me again. "Good looks? Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" I was a little brought aback when she completely ignored the fact that _I was a teacher._

I rolled my eyes, sitting up. "Whatever. Anyways, what's this deal of yours?" I tried to mask my tiredness with annoyance, hoping that I wouldn't start blinking tightly and looking like a fish out of water. My stomach growled. "Does it involve food?"

"Why, yes, yes it does," she replied, standing before I could even think to swipe out an arm and bring her back to the bed. I had to admit, she knew me well. "If you _promise_ to do a few chores for me, I'll make you breakfast. Anything you want." I opened my mouth for one particular suggestion and she held up a hand. "I am _not_ on the menu."

"Told you that you sound like a wife."

She groaned, bringing one hand to her forehead while the other went to her hip. "Can you just drop it until I get back from work?" Sighing, she continued with her "deal." "If you clean up the kitchen, living room, and in here for me, I'll make you breakfast. And dinner," she added, obviously sensing his quick refusal. "Unless you want to go see a movie tonight or something. Then I'll pay for that."

I thought about it. Anything—unfortunately, only anything that was considered nutritious food—for breakfast and a night alone with Amu in a dark theatre? I could do worse. And nothing was really that bad in the three rooms she asked me to clean…at least it wasn't the bathroom.

Maybe I could earn brownie points with this.

"Sure, whatever. What time do you get off?"

"Around seven. We'll go to one of the late-night movies. Look up times and stuff for whatever movie you want to go see. I'm game for anything." She strode out of the room, calling, "Hey, I forgot to ask; what do you want for breakfast?"

_Something that would just annoy you to no end._ "Belgium waffle, bacon, hash browns, and some eggs. Over easy."

I heard her groan from the other room and couldn't help snickering to myself.

---------------

She'd known he would play such an immature card. And thanks to her being able to actually _keep_ her promises, she'd been late to work and gotten yelled at over the phone by her boss. He'd shouted, "One more screw up like that, and you're fired! Do you understand me?!"

Her day had only gone downhill from there. She'd had to chase a group of teenagers—who were trying to steal _a Hershey bar_—and then deal with their immature threats about "poppin' a cap". Children these days!

And, of course, there were all the usual problems: the freezers sputtering and nearly dying, crying children smacking countless items off the shelves and onto the floor, and someone trying to run off without paying for their gasoline. She'd dealt with them all, but her patience was zapped.

As the clock rounded on seven o'clock, Amu rested her head on the counter, sighing as she tried to keep herself awake. _I'm so tired. I just want to go home. Where is Taisho-san to take over? Ugh._ Her eyes started to drift closed, a very _bad_ thing considered her occupation.

"Falling asleep on the job, huh? You must be beat."

_Why am I dreaming of him teasing me? Ugh. I need a new hobby other than thinking about him constantly._

"Hinamori-san, your boyfriend's here to pick you up. You can go now."

_Wait a second. That was Taisho-san's voice. What is Taisho-san doing in a dream about Ikuto? _Blinking, she opened her eyes, looking up at the two men standing before her. Taisho was a man of average height with dark brown hair and very pale green eyes. They were astounding, but it was to be expected since he was only half Japanese. He wasn't much of a talker and preferred not to associate with co-workers.

The other man, of course, was Ikuto, who stood smirking beside Taisho. He turned to him, apologizing. "Sorry about this. We've had a rough few nights."

_Did he just wink?! That pervert! I don't need Taisho-san thinking that I'm sleeping with someone!_

"I know what you mean. My wife's been _insatiable_ these last few weeks. She keeps saying all this stuff about her biological clock ticking."

_Wait; is Taisho-san actually _chatting_ with Ikuto? About his sex life?!_ She opened her mouth to tell Ikuto not say another word, but all that came out was a small whimper as she tried to straighten her back.

Neither man seemed to notice her as she cracked it.

Ikuto chuckled. "Yeah, well at least you're already married. Even though Amu-koi would _love_ to have my kids, she refuses to marry me just yet." He looked over at her, catching her glare with a wink. "And I don't want to have to deal with any illegitimate children, do I?"

The two men laughed together before Taisho's usual mask fell over his face once more. "All right, Hinamori-san, you can leave now."

She blinked at the sudden character change, but shrugged it off, too tired to actually care. She slowly made her way to her coat, only to find Ikuto holding it, waiting for her to put her arms into their respective places. Uncaring about any implications he might perceive from such an innocent acceptance of a polite gesture, she slipped her arms inside and leaned slightly into him. Yawning, she said, "Let's go home."

As they moved out into the oddly chilly summer night, Amu didn't even complain as Ikuto threw his around her shoulders, just leaned into his warmth. When they got in the car, she was asleep before she fell into the seat and never heard his words.

"See? You're more used to me then you'll let yourself acknowledge."

---------------

_Fluff! Yay! Well, this chapter _definitely _didn't go as planned, but I can't make myself care. :D  
__**Niixx**_

---------------

**Preview:  
Green Faced Kitty**

---------------

He'd known it was a bad idea to take her out to dinner where those _idiots_ usually were. Sure, they were fun enough to hang out with on boys' night out, but once a good looking woman was brought into the equation, they got _too_ friendly, as the case may be.

He had cleaned the house--much to Amu's surprise--to near spotless perfection, only missing the spot under the rug that he'd swept all the dirt, not that she knew about that yet. So she'd kept up her end of the bargain, though she'd asked if they could go out the next day because of how tired she was. They stopped for dinner before the movie and, much to Ikuto's dismay, met up with two of his "friends".

"What does Tsukiyomi have that I don't?" one asked jokingly, sidling up close to Amu's chair. "I'm sure if you think _he's_ good in the sack, you'll be _astounded _by what I have to offer."

Ikuto growled a little at that, glaring at the guy who was quickly going from his _Buddies_ list to _I'll Kill You The Next Time I See You_ list.

"Aw, c'mon, man! Look at her; she's hot. Besides, I don't see _your_ name on her."

While Amu told him off for such a medieval comment, Ikuto kindly asked the owner of the small restaurant, who was writing out a sign that said "No Pets Allowed Ever" with a Sharpie marker, if he could borrow the writing utensil. After thanking the man, Ikuto leaned over, grabbing Amu's leg and quickly graffitied both pant legs with four simple words:

_Tsukiyomi's Woman: Back Off_.

---------------

_Ooo, jealous Ikuto. Only thing hotter than that is protective Ikuto. Or smiling Ikuto. But whatever. :D_


	7. Green Faced Kitty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary:** When Amu goes on her date with Ikuto, and then another with Tadase, the kitty starts getting a little jealous.

**A/N:** I'm sorry it took so long to update! My parents are redoing the computer room, so I haven't had access to internet. Again, I am so sorry! So I've written a little extra-something that will be posted after this chapter.

**Latest SC! Chapter Note:** What the hell?! Ikuto-kun leaving?! Peach-Pit, how could you?!

---------------

**Green Faced Kitty**

---------------

He'd known it was a bad idea to take her out to dinner where those _idiots_ usually were. Sure, they were fun enough to hang out with on boys' night out, but once a good looking woman was brought into the equation, they got _too_ friendly, as the case may be.

He had cleaned the house--much to Amu's surprise--to near spotless perfection, only missing the spot under the rug that he'd swept all the dirt, not that she knew about that yet. So she'd kept up her end of the bargain, though she'd asked if they could go out the next day because of how tired she was. They stopped for dinner before the movie and, much to Ikuto's dismay, met up with two of his "friends".

"What does Tsukiyomi have that I don't?" one asked jokingly, sidling up close to Amu's chair. "I'm sure if you think _he's_ good in the sack, you'll be _astounded _by what I have to offer."

Ikuto growled a little at that, glaring at the guy who was quickly going from his _Buddies_ list to _I'll Kill You The Next Time I See You_ list.

"Aw, c'mon, man! Look at her; she's hot. Besides, I don't see _your_ name on her."

While Amu told him off for such a medieval comment, Ikuto kindly asked the owner of the small restaurant, who was writing out a sign that said "No Pets Allowed Ever" with a Sharpie marker, if he could borrow the writing utensil. After thanking the man, Ikuto leaned over, grabbing Amu's leg and quickly graffitied both pant legs with four simple words:

_Tsukiyomi's Woman: Back Off_.

"Ikuto, you'd better not have just written all over my _brand new pants_!" Amu shouted, jumping out of her seat to glare down at him. "I just bought these, you ass!"

His friends snickered as she scolded him, but when he sent them a murderous glare, they gave half-assed reasons that they couldn't stay any longer and left. Ikuto smirked a little to himself, glad that he was finally alone with Amu. Even if she was ready to bite his head off.

Noticing his happy expression, Amu growled, "Excuse me? What is so great about you _ruining_ my _new_ pair of jeans?"

He looked up at her once again, noting the dark look crossing her features as her hands clenched into fists and rested on her hips. _I'm in deep shit, now_, he thought, growling a little to himself. But there was nothing he could do; he had written on her pants for a reason and he would stick by that, even if it killed him.

That is, if she didn't first.

"If it's such a big deal, I'll buy you new ones, okay?" he replied, wincing when his annoyance at his friends drifted into the tone of his voice. _Shit, shit, shit!_

"Excuse me? Because I don't want your name on my _brand new jeans_, _you_ get angry with _me_? You asshole!" She snatched up her purse and stomped out the door of the restaurant, ignoring the people watching her every movement.

Sighing, Ikuto laid some bills down and went after her; he didn't want her walking alone _ever_. The worst of people seemed to migrate towards her like a flock of birds. And it wasn't like she had any idea how to protect herself; she couldn't punch worth a damn and a slap wasn't going to stop anyone. Might daze them for a little while, but that was about it.

He followed a good distance behind her. Just far enough that if anything were to happen, he would be able to jump in, but not close enough that he would have to wear a cup. He found his eyes drifting towards her ass again and again, encased in those tight jeans. The swaying had him in a trance that was only broken when he heard a voice he didn't particularly enjoy hearing on a regular basis but had become quite the familiar one over the past few weeks.

"Amu-chan, I'm guessing Tsukiyomi is in the doghouse, huh?" Tadase asked much too casually, nudging at the edges of Ikuto's in-control temper. And when he gently touched the woman in question, an apologetic gesture, the cat nearly snapped. "I'm so sorry for what happened at your place last week. I shouldn't have allowed it to go that far."

_You ass! Trying to show me up…ass,_ Ikuto thought, keeping his growl to himself. Moving quickly to Amu's side, he "accidentally" knocked the prince's arm away. "How very noble of you." _Thank God that came out as mockingly as I'd hoped it would_.

"Oh, shut up, Ikuto," Amu growled in return, elbowing him hard in the ribs. Her temper hadn't been helped with his obvious show of disrespect towards their unwanted companion, and it didn't seem to get any better when he lazily threw a possessive arm over her shoulder, but she didn't do anything to throw it off.

Tadase gave a small chuckle, glaring at Ikuto for only a short moment, then said, "I know this must be a horrible time to ask you, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out again tomorrow. We could do whatever you want." He smiled charmingly at her, ignoring Ikuto at once.

She grinned in return to him, though it turned into a bit of a smirk when her eyes darted up to meet the blue-haired man beside her. It was almost as if she planned to stick her tongue out at him. He probably would have laughed, if Tadase hadn't reached out to brush a stray strand of her hair out of her face.

"Don't touch her, Kiddy King," Ikuto snarled, smacking his hand away once again. He moved quickly in front of Amu, blocking her completely from Tadase's view. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared down at the young man standing before him.

The blonde boy sighed, asking, "Tsukiyomi, now that I'm eighteen, don't you think I've outgrown that nickname?"

"No, you're still puny." Ikuto easily sidestepped and blocked Amu from moving around him.

"Ikuto, that's enough, damnit!" Amu finally shouted, putting one hand against his arm to try to push him out of the way. She moved to his side, punching said arm as hard as she could. "I can't believe how childish you're acting! Treat him with a little respect, would you?"

"Not unless he promises me that he's not trying to take you back. If he tells me that he's only taking you out as _friends_, then I might actually let him take you out."

"_Let_ him? You egotistical ass—"

"I'm not letting my _fiancée_ go off with another guy!"

"You are so stupid and stubborn!"

"At least _I'm_ not trying to take another man's woman!"

Amu froze for a moment, too furious for words. Then, with fists tightened at her sides, she ground out between clenched teeth, "I am not _yours_! I live in the twenty-first century, thank you very much, and I will go out with whoever I want!" She turned to Tadase with a dark look on her face. "I would love to go out with you tomorrow night, Tadase-kun. How about eight-ish?"

He gave a small smile, though event hat seemed a bit forced. "Sure. I'll pick you up at eight, then." He walked past them then, seeming a little down.

Amu turned to give Ikuto a triumphant look. "That's right, ass. I have a date tomorrow and _you_ have nothing to say about—what are you doing?!"

He kept walking, ignoring her flailing as he shifted her to better hold her on his shoulder.

---------------

_Tadase's P.O.V._

I should have known better than to ask her out. Everything she did was just to get Ikuto angry. She didn't pay much attention to what _I_ did, but what Ikuto _would_ have done. Her eyes would glaze over whenever I did something she could relay to him that would piss him off, and I could practically read her mind. She only wanted to bother the other man.

When Mashiro-san told me about Ikuto announcing that he and Amu-chan were getting married, I should have known better than to do as she asked. There was no way that, if it hadn't been true, Amu-chan would have allowed Ikuto to continue living with her. She would be so angry with him that he would have been chased away by her hysterical father's abrupt appearance. Amu-chan had learned, much to Ikuto's chagrin, how to use Tsumugu-san's like and dislike of the older man to her advantage.

Of course, this "date" proved why he had never really had a problem with me. Amu-chan and I simply didn't have the kind of chemistry that Ikuto and she had. So Tsumugu-san and Midori-san just saw me as one of Amu-chan's friends.

"Amu-chan," I said, sighing to myself when her head jerked up as if I had surprised her. Her eyes were wide for a moment, then they settled on me with a small smile and she rested her chin on the back of one hands.

"Sorry, Tadase-kun, my mind must have wandered a bit. You were saying?"

I returned her smile, though mine was a little more apologetic than hers. "Amu-chan," I repeated, "I'm glad you came out with me tonight. It's been a lot of fun."

She nodded, leaning forward. "I had a really good time tonight, too. It's really nice to be able to get away from Ikuto once in awhile." Whatever truth she felt in that statement didn't quite reach her eyes. It was a little ego-deflating to know that she was thinking of someone else so much when she was with me, but when I think about how much grief Ikuto goes through, it makes me feel at least a _tiny bit_ better.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I bet it is." There was an awkward pause as I tried to think of a way to bring up that this kind of thing really wasn't working. Since we weren't dating, I didn't want to say, "I'd really like to stay friends," like some sort of bad television show. But I also didn't want her to think that I never wanted to see her again.

"I don't think this is working."

I blinked. "Huh?" I asked eloquently.

She looked at me, running one hand through her pink hair. "This just isn't going to work. I'm sorry I'm doing this to you," she apologized, sighing sadly as her body sagged. "I can't believe I'm actually stooping to his level. This is ridiculous." Her eyes met mine and she groaned. "I don't want to lead you on or hurt you, but I'm acting so immature! I just want to make Ikuto realize that I'm my own person and can make decisions by myself! This isn't the middle ages!"

I kept blinking like an idiot as relief swamped me. Thank _God_, I didn't have to broach the subject. "Yeah, I know," I said again, smiling at her reassuringly. I reached out and grabbed her hand in mine, giving it a platonic squeeze. "How about I bring you home now? You can give him a good kick for me."

She gave me the first real smile she'd directed at _me_ that evening and squeezed my hand in return. "Thank you. And don't worry; I most definitely _will_ kick him."

We left and the car ride back to her house was full of laughs. Our friendship remained intact, which was more than I could say for Ikuto's body parts later on that night. Apparently, she was going to show him—without turning to another man, she assured me—that she could do things on her own. That she didn't need him dictating her life.

When I parked in front of her building, she gave me a smile and said, "Well, I'm willing to bet Ikuto's got his fur in a twist over this whole thing, so I'd better go smooth some ruffled feathers—that one didn't work." She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for tonight, Tadase-kun. You're a great friend. The best." Then she had gotten out, closed the door, and was striding across the grass, and I pulled back into traffic.

I got home right as my cellphone started ringing.

_Calling: Hinamori Amu Home_

Why she was calling me, I had no idea. Maybe she and Ikuto had gotten into a worse fight than I thought they would. But then, wouldn't _he_ be the one leaving?

"Hello?" I asked, picking up the phone.

"Where the fuck is Amu?" Ikuto's voice growled darkly into my ear.

_Amu-chan…but I dropped her off fifteen minutes ago!_

---------------

_Amu's P.O.V._

I wondered how I was supposed to tell Ikuto how I felt about him. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been, making him jealous by going out with Tadase-kun. But that didn't mean that I would allow our whole relationship to go on that way. He couldn't be in charge of my life anymore than I could be in charge of his.

I didn't notice when I opened the door to the apartment building, or held said door open for the new guy that had moved in only a few days after Ikuto's announcement of our "engagement" to Rima-chan. _I'm even thinking in terms of him! This is insane!_

I was so far from reality that when an arm wrapped around my throat and a hand covered in a damp rag closed over my mouth, I didn't have time to react before the world went black.

---------------

_I didn't want anyone getting bored with this story, so I felt like a twist could be thrown in. I've got this whole thing planned out, no worries, so it won't drift off the original course.  
__**Niixx**_

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**Preview  
Frantic**

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"You little mother-fucker!" Ikuto shouted, grabbing Tadase by the collar of his shirt, slamming him hard against the wall of the kitchen. After the blue-haired man's furious phone call, Tadase had raced to the apartment, demanding to know what kind of a sick joke he was trying to pull off. "Where the fuck is she?!"

"I dropped her off more than forty-five minutes ago! What the hell are you talking about?!" Tadase returned, yanking Ikuto's hands off of him. But he was just as frantic as the other man. How could Amu have _not_ made it up to her apartment? He'd watched her walk into the building, only pausing to hold the door open for another person that lived there. How hadn't she made it back up to rip Ikuto a new one?

"Then where did she go? Did you see her get into the building?"

Tadase had never heard Ikuto so…terrified. Her voice trembled even though he tried to make it into an angry rumble. "I watched her walk in and then I left. She was on her way to kick _your_ ass when I drove away!" To see that kind of fear, that kind of anxiety in Ikuto's face, in his eyes took the younger man completely by surprise and struck his own chord of fear.

Ikuto's eyes got a distant look to them before he murmured, "She's gotta be somewhere in the building."

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_Hope that left you ready for the next chapter. I can't wait to finish it and hear all of your reviews._


	8. Frantic

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shugo Chara!

**Chapter Summary: **Amu doesn't come home after a date with Tadase and Ikuto is frantic to find her.

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**Frantic**

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"You little mother-fucker!" Ikuto shouted, grabbing Tadase by the collar of his shirt, slamming him hard against the wall of the kitchen. After the blue-haired man's furious phone call, Tadase had raced to the apartment, demanding to know what kind of a sick joke he was trying to pull off. "Where the fuck is she?!"

"I dropped her off more than forty-five minutes ago! What the hell are you talking about?!" Tadase returned, yanking Ikuto's hands off of him. But he was just as frantic as the other man. How could Amu have _not_made it up to her apartment? He'd watched her walk into the building, only pausing to hold the door open for another person that lived there. How hadn't she made it back up to rip Ikuto a new one?

"Then where did she go? Did you see her get into the building?"

Tadase had never heard Ikuto so…terrified. His voice trembled even though he tried to make it into an angry rumble. "I watched her walk in and then I left. She was on her way to kick _your_ ass when I drove away!" To see that kind of fear, that kind of anxiety in Ikuto's face, in his eyes took the younger man completely by surprise and struck his own chord of fear.

Ikuto's eyes got a distant look to them before he murmured, "She's gotta be somewhere in the building."

Tadase found himself suddenly free and Ikuto rushing out of the apartment, flinging the door open hard enough for it to make a dent in the wall. The blonde man stared after the other before shaking his head to bring himself into the present, following after Ikuto.

"Tsukiyomi, wait!" he shouted as he dashed down the hall after him. When the blue-haired violinist didn't stop, the would-be king grabbed his arm to stop him. "Damnit, I want to find her just as much as you do, but we have to do this properly! If we don't, she might be gone forever. Now listen to me or I'll kick your lazy cat ass!"

Ikuto paused for a moment, thinking over what Tadase had said. It was true; if they didn't get to the security office and tell them to keep everyone that was inside there, the kidnapper could easily run off with her. But he couldn't just sit around and wait when anything could be happening to her. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her, no matter what he had to do to stop it.

"Fine. You go tell security; I'm going to break down some doors."

With that, he disappeared, racing away before Tadase could even think to catch up.

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_Amu's P.O.V._

Oh, God, did my head hurt. I didn't want to open my eyes as I tried to think as little as possible. Whatever I'd done, it wasn't something I was going to do again any time soon.

Slowly, my eyes opened without my consent and I was relieved that darkness surrounded me. I didn't know if I'd be able to withstand a shower of light in my current predicament. Even as I sat up, everything around me blurred, causing me to fall backward with a moan. Ikuto had better be making something to eat; he'd know what happened and make fun of me for it, so the least he could do was provide me sustenance.

But wait; had I been with Ikuto? I could only remember Tadase-kun telling me…that he understood! Then we parted as friends and he dropped me off at home…but I didn't remember getting up to the apartment. I recalled opening the door for the new tenant and after that everything was blank. I could recollect the bitter taste in my mouth; in fact, it was still there. What had been that horrible smell? And that damp _thing_ that had covered my mouth and nose? And whose voice had said—

"Don't worry, pretty girl; once we have Tsukiyomi, this is all over."

I sat up in a flash, my breathing ragged. That was it! Right before the darkness had completely taken over and I'd drifted into my own dream world, I'd heard a dark voice muttering about Ikuto and how he would pay for what he'd done…to Easter's headquarters!

"I wouldn't sit up too quickly, pretty girl. You're gonna have one helluva bad headache for awhile yet."

That voice again! I swiveled my head from side to side, trying to find the owner, ignoring the pain rushing through me. Fury powered me and I pushed myself to stand. Whoever this man was, I wasn't going to let him get the best of me. I had taken on a major corporation when I was only twelve years old; I was not someone to mess with!

'_Amu-chan, be careful! You don't know what this man is planning to do with you!'_ Suu's maternal voice rang through my head, warning me. I had to think about it for a second; she and the others hadn't piped in for so long, I wasn't sure if I was just going crazy or not.

'_Amu-chan can do anything! She'll beat this guy until he can't see straight anymore!'_ Ran cheered and I could practically feel her waving those pink pom-poms around in my heart.

'_You will have to be very careful about how you do this, Amu-chan, if you don't want to get hurt or worse. Don't let him get you angry,'_ Miki's calm voice said.

"I won't," I replied quietly so as not to grab the man's attention. I slowly walked towards what I thought was a door; it had a small crack of light beneath it, so it gave the impression of a door, at least. But just as I would have reached for the knob, that voice echoed through the room once more.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man said mockingly. "That doorknob is electrically charged and will fry you if you touch it. There's no way for you to get out there, so just sit down and be terrified like any other damsel in distress. You're precious _Tsukiyomi Ikuto_ will be here to save you in no time." A curt laugh followed the annoying summation of my situation and then everything was silent once more.

"Where are you?" I demanded, putting my back to the door so I would be able to see all around me. But, even though my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I couldn't see even the faintest outline of another person in the room with me. "The least you could do is tell me where you are!"

"I'm using the intercom system I installed when I first moved in here, _neighbor._ I can see everything you're doing while I'm left in complete solitude. That way, you don't know who I am and can't report me once I let you go."

How could he sound so reasonable when doing something so completely paranoid? "Why did you kidnap me if you just want to let me go? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of taking me in the first place?" Other questions, like what he was going to do with me while I _was_ there, rang through my mind, but I decided that I would find out soon enough.

"Poor Hinamori Amu. You are nothing more than bait. You see, I know that if I have _you_, Tsukiyomi Ikuto will come _running_ to save you. Once I have repaid him for what he did to me, you will be free to go."

I was enraged at the thought that he was using me to get to Ikuto; I shouldn't be a weakness for him! "What has Ikuto ever done to you, you pompous prick?!"

"He destroyed Easter!" the man roared, making the room nearly vibrate with its intensity. "I had to get a real job that doesn't pay nearly as well! As a personal guard for Gozen, _I_ had everything I could want! Now I have _nothing_!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This man was certifiably _insane_. Working as a guard for Gozen was the first tip off. But now he blamed Easter's destruction on _Ikuto_? "How is it his fault that Easter's headquarters burnt down? It was a case of faulty wiring!" That was what the papers and police reports had said. And since the investigators were _professionals_, they had to be right. Didn't they?

"Ha! How hard could it have been for him to simply slash a few wires? He certainly had the motive; with his stepfather controlling him and keeping him away from his precious little _girlfriend_, why wouldn't he want to see the place burn to the ground!" The man's voice was nearly hysterical at this point and it frightened me. While I wasn't letting him get _me_ riled up, I was certainly doing a good enough job getting _him_ angry.

I just sat there for a moment, trying to think of a way to get him on _my_ side. He might have said that he planned on letting me go freely, but that didn't mean he couldn't change his mind.

"Oh, how cute! You'll be happy to know that you're precious fiancé is tearing apart this building looking for you. How adorable; he thinks that if I wanted to do anything to you, he could stop me. You should really speak to him about that wishful thinking, if you ever see him again." More mirthless laughter followed his taunting and I couldn't help what I did next.

"How dare you use me as a pawn against Ikuto! You're disgusting, vile!" I spun to the door, banging my fists against the wood, silently wishing for the strength to knock the damn thing down.

"Ah, but I'm in charge. You should be happy I didn't decide to see what fun _you_ are. I mean, unless you're doing something _extra _for the Tsukiyomi brat, how could you possibly keep his attention?"

My heart stopped at the words. Was it true? Was I just a conquest to Ikuto? _No! Ikuto cares for me, that much is obvious._ "Shut up! You don't know anything about our relationship!"

"Relationship? He merely drops in as he pleases, doesn't he? Then he leaves when you bore him. Tsk, you poor thing. You actually believe he could have feelings for anyone other than himself?"

'_Amu-chan, you heard him before; Ikuto-kun is searching _for you_ when he could have just walked away and left things to the police. Besides, this man keeps telling you that _you _are the perfect bait for Ikuto-kun because_ he will always come for you._ Don't let him shake you!'_ Miki said and I felt Ran's overwhelming confidence and Suu's ability for unconditional love pulsing through me.

They were right. I couldn't listen to this man; he was only trying to rile me up as I did him.

But that didn't stop my anger and fury.

Just as I was about to rebuke him, he chuckled darkly. "Show time," he murmured before I heard something crash in the room beyond the one I was locked in.

---------------

"Amu!" Ikuto shouted, racing to check every nook and cranny of the apartment he had just burst into. He flipped chairs, searched beneath desks, generally tore apart the room before he heard her.

"Ikuto! Get out of here; he's just using me to get to you!"

_Amu. That was Amu's voice. But who…._ "What do you mean—"

"You should have listened to your pretty little girlfriend, Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I have a lot to repay you for. Did you really think you could get away with taking _my _job away from me?"

Ikuto spun around, certain that the voice had been directly behind him. But all he found was an empty room. _Where the hell is this guy? And what the fuck is he talking about?_ A chuckle sounded behind him and he swung around once again, ready to fight. But, again, nothing was there.

There was a tap on his shoulder suddenly and just as he twisted to see the man's face, he felt a hard punch to his stomach, strong enough to double him over. As he fell to his knees, he gave several hard coughs and tried to look up, only to be flooded with pain. How the hell had the guy managed to get behind him and land a solid punch? Had he really lost his edge so much?

"Ikuto! Ikuto, what's going on?!" Amu cried from the other room and he heard her slamming against the door, even though he couldn't turn to see what happened.

"Amu," he breathed just before he was sent sprawling by a kick to the head. He hissed, eyes flashing open as rage filled him and he struggled to stand, ready to attack with whatever he could.

"I wouldn't bother trying, Tsukiyomi. I was the highest ranking guard for Gozen; I know _exactly_ what to do to knock you out, to make you feel a pain you will _never _forget. If I let you live, that is." The man stood directly in front of him, smirking down at the fallen blue-haired man. From the looks of it, he wasn't exaggerating. He was built like a truck with a thick head of black hair and bright green eyes. He seemed like he would have been recruited from a boxing ring, which wouldn't have surprised Ikuto for a moment.

"Ikuto, run! Get out of here!" Amu screamed, the banging becoming louder and the door rocking harder on its hinges.

"Shut up!" the man shouted. "Or else you'll be next, damnit!"

Ikuto, at the threat to Amu, launched himself despite his pain, swiftly kicking him in the chest and sending him stumbling backwards. "Don't talk to her that way," he growled. "You won't get near her."

The man glared at him, but both heads swung towards the door to the room holding Amu as it fell to the ground with a loud _thwump!_

Amu stood there, breathing hard, pointing one finger at the man who had started this whole thing. "I won't forgive you for doing this!" she shouted before launching herself at him, taking him off guard. Before he could do anything, she'd knocked him to the ground. She swiftly moved away to go to Ikuto's side, helping him stand as slowly as possible with one of his arms slung over her shoulders. "Are you okay? Can you get out of here?"

"You need to…go, Amu. He won't stay down long; you only knocked the wind out of him," Ikuto said, just as the man in question stood, stumbling towards them. The pair backed away, suddenly hitting the wall. "Get out of here!" Ikuto shouted, shoving Amu away just as the man swung a hard fist at them. It connected with the cat's temple, knocking him into the wall.

As he lay there, his body too shocked to move, he heard Amu cry out. But it wasn't in pain; this was that of a mother bear protecting her cubs. He watched, unable to move, as the woman lunged herself at the guard. He tried to say something, to force her back, but his body didn't respond.

"Stay away from him!"

That seemed to be her battle cry. Whenever he would get too close to Ikuto's slowly strengthening body, she would grab a lamp or a book and swing it as hard as she could at him. If he hadn't been so scared for her, he would have cheered her on.

His fears came true when the man caught one of her attacks, lifting her an inch or two off the ground by her hold on the small step stool she'd just swung at him. He growled, "Back off, you stupid little girl; I plan to let you live, if you don't make yourself a nuisance."

She spat in his face.

He flung her away and she hit the floor hard. "You're bait so act like it!" He stomped towards her, grabbing that stool on his way. As he lifted it above his head, the apartment door was filled with men scurrying inside.

"Amu-chan! Ikuto-onii-san*!" Tadase cried as he caught sight of both of them. The men he had led to the apartment surrounded the truck-like man and had him knocked to the ground in an instant. Amu put her hand to her head and rose, Tadase helping her up. "What happened to you?!"

"You…idiot," Ikuto snarled, finally pushing himself into a sitting position, glaring at the pink-haired girl that stumbled towards him. "What the…hell did you think you were doing? You could have…gotten hurt, you stupid girl!" Trying to level his breathing, he watched as her eyes flashed.

"I would think _you_ would know all about doing something stupid for someone you love! Aren't _you _the one that used to try to either frighten or push me away because you thought I needed protection? I just did something a little blunter!" She kneeled down in front of him and poked him in the chest—hard.

In fact, it was hard enough to send a shooting pain through him.

"Oh, God, did I hurt you?!" Amu cried, forgetting her anger as Tadase and the security officers—now with the man, whose name turned out to be Ky, handcuffed and controlled—left the two alone. Her hands on either side of his hips, she asked in a nearly too-fast voice, "Are you all right? Where does it hurt? Please don't die!"

And, staring up at her worried yet incredibly beautiful face, Ikuto felt all his pain flee. His hands shot up, cupped her face, and pulled her mouth to his.

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_Ta-da! I hope it wasn't too cliché for you, Natsuya801923!  
And to the rest of my readers: I just barely got it done on deadline! And I left you with another cliff-hanger!  
__**Niixx**_

* Please correct me if that _isn't_ how it is spelled/said!

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**There will be no preview for next chapter because it will be the long awaited chapter. –Starry o.O knows what I'm talking about. XD**


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